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Mexico fans toss a fellow supporter in the air during a watch party at Klyde Warren Park during Mexico\u2019s World Cup match against England on July 5. England won the match 3-2.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a popular saying in Latino culture, often used to console those who find the cards are not falling in their favor: \u201cdesgraciado en el juego, afortunado en el amor,\u201d or \u201cunlucky in the game, lucky in love,\u201d it promises.<\/p>\n
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A Dallas-based dating app is taking that sentiment to heart this summer with a World Cup promotion that seeks to unite f\u00fatbol fans whose teams are going home without the ultimate prize.<\/p>\n
Chispa, which advertises itself as the No. 1 dating app for Latinos in the U.S., launched a Lucky Losers campaign to connect Latino singles who root for the same team\u00a0\u2014 and suffer the same loss.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe realized everybody\u2019s celebrating winners when most people actually will go through a loss,\u201d said Julia Estacolchic, senior director of brand and marketing at Chispa. \u201cOut of 48 teams that are playing, 47 will lose.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that in mind, the company is going the extra mile in its matchmaking\u00a0\u2014 literally. It\u2019s coordinating speed dating-esque car rides for prospective pairs to get to know each other in the back seat, and it\u2019s offering to foot the bill for dinner afterward for those who find a spark.<\/p>\n
The thesis underpinning the promotion is simple: Grieving fans don\u2019t actually want to be alone in their sorrow. In fact, sharing the experience of a loss might actually be helpful for breaking the ice and finding common ground with a date.<\/p>\n
Estacolchic\u2019s team wanted to see if that theory was correct, so they invited all their users to take a survey\u00a0\u2014 a strategy they often employ before launching a campaign or changing parts of the in-app experience to make sure they\u2019re aligned with what their audience wants, she said.<\/p>\n
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The results were resounding. Almost half of Chispa\u2019s respondents said they instinctively reach out to others after their team is eliminated, whether by texting a crush or opening a dating app and finding someone to grab drinks with. Only 7% said they put their phones on Do Not Disturb after a loss. And a whopping 97% said they would still want to go on a date that evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all like, \u2018Oh my God, this is more true than we ever expected,\u2019 \u201d Estacolchic said.<\/p>\n
So, the company went full steam ahead on its Lucky Losers campaign.<\/p>\n
The experience starts in the app, where users can post stickers on their profile to display their team allegiance. A flag is available for every qualifying nation. Another digital sticker pack helps identify users\u2019 relationship intent, with f\u00fatbol-themed phrases like \u201crebound season\u201d and \u201cready to take the shot\u201d accompanied by images of jerseys, goals and trophies.<\/p>\n
For users in Dallas, Chispa is playing a more active role in facilitating connections. The company is hosting two watch parties at Christie\u2019s, a sports bar in Lower Greenville, where fans can meet other singles while cheering on their teams.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s also partnering with Alto, a rideshare company based in Dallas, to provide 15-minute rides to its lucky losers. Users are invited through the Chispa app to sign up for the rides, then are matched with another local fan of their team of choice and given a time slot to be picked up.<\/p>\n
To help defuse the nervous energy that comes with any first date, a popular Latino streamer will be present in the front seat to act as a kind of matchmaking guide, asking questions and helping facilitate banter with the couple. Chispa has partnered with Chance<\/a>, Miriam<\/a>, XOJAS<\/a> and Romeo<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 whose respective TikTok followings range from 300,000 to 1.4 million\u00a0\u2014 to be their copilots.<\/p>\n At the end of the 15 minutes, the couple is asked whether they want to keep the conversation going. If they do, they\u2019re brought to Leela\u2019s Wine Bar a few blocks away, where Chispa pays for a two-hour dinner. If not, they\u2019re dropped off back at the watch party, where digital creators Inez Lopez, Marlene Chavarria, Andrew Saucedo and Melody Guerra hand out free T-shirts and keep the energy high.<\/p>\n The first Chispa watch party was July 6, when Spain defeated Portugal<\/a> 1-0. Estacolchic said the initiative has been a success so far, with multiple couples moving past the car-ride stage and taking Chispa up on its offer for the extended dinner date.<\/p>\n Dallas was chosen as the host site for the Lucky Losers initiative in part because of its convenient location as both a World Cup host city and the site of the company\u2019s headquarters. But more importantly, it represents the dating app\u2019s fourth-largest market, providing a large pool of single f\u00fatbol fans for the initiative to serve.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The program closes July 14, with another watch party and slate of date-rides scheduled for when Spain returns to Dallas to face France<\/a> in the semifinals. Estacolchic is optimistic that the initiative will help more couples find that \u201cchispa,\u201d or \u201cspark,\u201d that turns their night around.<\/p>\n \u201cWe turn this into a positive experience,\u201d she said. \u201cOK, you lost tonight, but what if this changes your life? What if this sparks a real connection?\u201d<\/p>\n